Two weddings and a Hyuuga
by zlinka
Summary: The title kind of explains it all. Hinata and Shikamaru find themselves attending the same weddings. Find out what happens.
1. Chapter 1

This is the only disclaimer I am posting, so no matter how many chapters this story takes, it is officially written down that I do not own Naruto the series or any of the characters.

With that said, i hope that you enjoy this new story and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the other stories that I'm in the process of writing.

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Shikamaru was at a wedding, wondering why he was invited at all. Sure, he and the groom had gone to school together, and even had some missions that they worked on, but they weren't close. Plus, the bride was an ex-girlfriend. If he were the groom, he wouldn't want any ex's at the wedding, she might just change her mind.

The music started, and Shikamaru, like everyone else turned to watch as the procession began. First, there was a cute little girl in a puffy/frilly dress skipping down the isle, throwing rose petals all over the place. If Shikamaru had been in the isle the gently floating projectiles would have hit him.

Next there came a couple. He recognized them as people he had gone to school with. The woman was wearing a blue dress that was just short of being flattering. If it lost the puffy sleeves and sash, it would have looked cute on her. Her dark hair had been pulled up into a bun, with straggles of hair hanging artfully around her face and neck. The man with her was wearing a dark tuxedo that almost matched the grooms, but had a different colored flower in the lapel. The only reason Shikamaru had even recognized him was because of the red stripes that had been tattooed to his cheeks, without his dog he tended to blend in with the crowd.

The second couple was dressed similarly to the first. The woman he again recognized as someone who he went to school with. Her pink hair was kind of a give away. The man escorting her was one of the bride's brothers. He had blondish brown hair.

The third couple walked by. The woman had her hair up in two buns fixed at the top of her head. The man with her was the bride's other brother. He had bright red hair and a tattoo on his forehead. Shikamaru shuddered as he thought about some of the times that he had encountered him.

Finally the bride came out of hiding. She looked like how he supposed every bride looks on her wedding day, glowing. Admittedly this could be because of just how white the dress was against her skin, but Shikamaru didn't think that was it, or at least not all the way. She wore her blond hair down, which barely came past her shoulders. She was smirking as she made her way down the isle.

When she reached the end she and her future husband gently clasped hands and started their vows. Shikamaru must have been lost in thought because the next thing he heard was…

"You may now kiss the bride," And much whooping and hollering followed. "May I be the first to introduce Shino and Temari Aburame," continued the minister when the clapping had died down. This caused the clapping to start up again, as the newly married couple made their way down the isle.

Feeling lazy Shikamaru followed the crowd. The crowd led him to the happy couple, where they were accepting well wishes and congratulations.

"Crybaby," Temari gushed at him. That was the main reason they had never gotten further then they did, she reminded him of his mother, "Glad you could make it." He shrugged. Sure, he could probably come up with a witty repartee that would blow them away, but he didn't feel like it.

Instead he offered the couple his hand, so that he could shake theirs, "Congratulations," he said a little awkwardly. He never really knew what to say at these events.

"Thanks Crybaby," Temari said as she kissed him on the cheek, "Stay for the party." Shikamaru fought against the urge to wipe his cheek off with the palm of his hand, it's not that she was a sloppy kisser, it was just that he could feel the lipstick she was wearing sink into his flesh. He shrugged again, recognizing an order when he heard one.

"Hey free food," he smirked, "there's no way I'm missing that."

"Now you sound like Chouji," Temari smirked.

"He must be rubbing off on me." Eventually the pleasantries ended and Shikamaru moved on. Shino was as usual silent throughout the exchange, the only contribution he made was to acknowledge Shikamaru's existence.

He made his way into the reception hall, found himself an empty chair in the back of the room, and preceded to make himself comfortable. People would come to him if they wanted to mingle.

For the next couple of hours Shikamaru spent most of his time watching people make small talk. It was almost as interesting as cloud watching, except whenever he got hungry he would have to go to the buffet, instead of just reaching over and stealing a chip from Chouji.

In fact Chouji was at the wedding, with a food piled plate in one hand and his other snaking around his wife Ino's waist. He was happy that his friends had gotten together, but annoyed that he was the third wheel now.

"Attention. May I have your attention please!" Kiba shouted to be heard. Everyone ignored him.

Shino pushed him out of the way and cleared his throat. Everyone was silent. "Temari is going to throw her bouquet. All the single women line up."

All three to Temari's bride maids got in line as well as other women at the party and the Hokage.

"Go Sakura chan!" a loud obnoxious voice shouted out. Shikamaru just sighed at Naruto, the owner of the voice.

Temari stood with her back to the group of women and threw the flowers. There was a mad scramble and when the dust cleared, there was a pile of women, but no sign of the bouquet.

One by one the women got up, looking very embarrassed at their actions. Finally the bouquet was revealed. Well actually a body was huddled in the duck and cover position, making sure to protect head and shoulders and inadvertently the flowers. Slowly the figure rose and the flowers dropped to the floor. Before the rabid single women could dive upon the flowers again, she scooped them up and clutched them to her chest.

"Wahoo!" Temari shouted, "Way to go Hinata! I new I chose the right maid of honor!" Everyone clapped politely, then the hubbub died down.

Temari had sat down on a chair, and Shino knelt before her. "All right!" Kiba shouted, "All the single guys line up. Shino's going to throw her garter."

All the single guys got up and trudged to the center of the room, except at first Shikamaru. If it weren't for Ino, he would have sat and watched. But she had caught him, and dragged him in the center of the group of guys, and left him there to fend for himself.

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Shino removed the garter and turned around. The guys around him tensed, whether to catch the garter or run from it, Shikamaru didn't know.

He watched in a detached fashion as the elastic garment sailed through the air and landed right on his face. He stood there and blinked rapidly as everyone laughed.. He could have stopped it from doing that, but he new it wasn't dangerous, just embarrassing.

"Nice catch Crybaby," Temari shouted. Everyone laughed at her wit.

"That means that the next to get married are Hinata and Shikamaru," Ino explained to those that didn't know the tradition.

"What to each other?" Some smart ass in the audience asked as photos were taken of Hinata and Shikamaru.

"Yeah right," someone else, possibly Naruto, scoffed, "Like Shikamaru could get a great girl like Hinata to even look twice at him. More talk like this was thrown back and forth through out the crowd and the longer it lasted the redder Hinata's cheeks turned. Shikamaru just spent his time trying to ignore the hubbub. It didn't really embarrass him as much as they thought it was embarrassing him.

Eventually everyone else found something more interesting to talk about and they left him alone. He went back to his corner and waited until the happy couple left for their honeymoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinata was sitting with the other bride's maids. She was fingering the material of yet another dress that could almost be gorgeus, except for the lace at the collar that was really itchy and the puffed up sleeves. It was a shade of pink that was unflattering with Hinata's coloring as well, making her look pale and washed out.

For this wedding she wasn't the maid of honor, which she was glad for. Sakura was one of her best friends, but Hinata couldn't really imagine planning the shower for her or arranging for the practice dinner to take place.

It wasn't because of who she was marrying, her ex-crush Naruto, but because Sakura had a major case of Bridezilla. It's a good thing that Sakura had chosen Ino to be her Matron of Honor. Sakura had purposely chosen almost flattering dresses for her bride's maids to make her look even more beautiful, and she would tell any of the other bride's maids that she had chosed Ino for her matron of honor because her pregnancy was just beginning to show, meaning that Sakura would look thin and beautiful while taking her vows.

Everyone put up with her because normally she was a very sweet and considerate girl, so they knew that it was just Bridezilla talking, and once she retruned from the honeymoon she would back to herself. Of course this never stopped Ino from saying that the only reason she had chosen Sakura to be her maid of honor for her wedding was so that Sakura's forehead could provide shade during the outdoor ceremony.

Hinata smiled at the memory of that dress fitting. All the bride's maids lined up outside of the hall. The music started, and they paired off with their escorts.

Ino walked down the ilse a little nervously, attached to Gaara's arm, he was Naruto's best man. Next went Ten Ten, with Kiba and Akamaru, at Naruto's insistance. Finally Hinata made her way, slipping her arm into Shikamaru's.

She smiled shyly up at him in greeting, which he returned with a slight incline of his head. The walk down the ilse was short, but the ceremony lasted forever. It was all Hinata could do not to glare at Sakura, who had decided that all her bride's maids should be the same height. This meant that Hinata was wearing some very uncomfortably high heels, because she was the shortest in the group.

By the time Naruto and Sakura kissed, there were tears in Hinata's eyes. It was caused by a combination of the beauty of the long ceremony and the pain in her feet. She smiled as the newly married couple made their way out of the wedding hall and into the reception hall.

The first thing Hinata did in the reception hall was excuse herself into the dressing room and change her shoes. It was a long dress, so no one would notice, except for the extreme height change.

She spent most of the reception avoiding Sakura, so that she wouldn't flip over the fact that Hinata had changed shoes. For the most part people sat at their tables, chatting with the other people around them. A video camera was passed around the room, letting everyone give the newly weds their fondest wishes.

Finally the video camera reached the table that the wedding prosession was sitting at. "Naruto and Sakura, you are my best friends," Hinata began slowly, "And I can think of no two people who deserve each other more." 'That sounded catty,' she thought in a panic, "Um… please be happy together for the rest of your lives." 'Yeah, good save.'

The camera was passed on to the next person, and Hinata let out a sigh of relief. She barely heard their message of congratulations as she worried about hurting Sakura and Naruto's feelings with her message.

There was a slight tinging of a glass as Gaara stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone was silent, and looking for sand, just in case.

"The bride and groom have requested that everyone take part in the time honored tradition of the Chicken Dance in celebration of their love. Then the throwing of the bouquet and garter will take place," there was a relieved air as everybody realized that Gaara wasn't going on a killing rampage to celebrate his best friend's wedding.

Hinata stood with everyone else and went to a cleared off area, because the Chicken Dance was dangerous enough without tables getting in the way. When the dancing started Hinata couldn't help but smile. It was such a fun dance, and no one got embarrassed because everybody was doing it.

When the dancing ended there was much clapping and laughing as married women and all the men cleared the floor. Hinata tried moving toward the back of the group, hoping that someone else would catch the bouquet this time, because she had already caught one before. 'Every girl should be able to catch the bouquet at least once,' she thought as she watched the flowers fly directly towards them.

She tried everything she could think about to escape the pollen filled projectile, but escape was impossible. She wasn't dive tackled like last time, but she did get some evil glares from the women who were at the last wedding. Hinata could feel her face getting redder as her embarrassment grew.

She hunched her shoulders a little as she made her way to the side lines, wondering idly who she was going to be taking pictures with next. The single men all gathered together, and Shikamaru was again dragged into the group by Ino. Hinata watched as the garter was tossed into the air, half expecting it to either fly out the window or get stuck on an air vent because of how enthusiastically Naruto tossed it.

Instead it was caught by Shikamaru. It had come very close to landing on his face again, but this time he had just lazily reached a hand out and let the garter hit it.

Pictures were taken, and jokes were made. Mostly they were jokes about never inviting either of them to a wedding again, until they were married themselves. Others joked that it must be a fated relationship.


	3. Chapter 3

Shikamaru was stretched out on the ground in the field outside the reception hall. Even though the newly weds had left hours ago, the party still raged on. He had promised Naruto that he wouldn't leave until the last guest did, otherwise he would be at home, either zoning out in front of the t.v or playing a game of shougi against himself.

He sighed and watched as clouds lazily floated across the night sky. 'Why'd I promise to stay?' he asked himself for the millionth time sense he made the promise. It's not that he hated people, he just hated that they didn't think. When people got together in large groups, like a wedding for example, they do things that they wouldn't normally do, and expect you to go along with it.

In fact the reason that he was in the field instead of in the reception hall was because Kiba had had the brilliant idea to start a game of Twister. Where he had gotten the game from, Shikamaru would never know. So, instead of embarrassing himself in front of people that he would have to face the next day, he excused himself from the crowd.

He was contemplating the risk of embarrassment if he snuck back in the hall for some food, versus going hungry for the rest of the party. So far, being hungry for a few more hours was winning.

"So, you caught it this time," a smooth and annoyingly serene voice came from somewhere behind Shikamaru.

Shikamaru didn't move an inch. "I didn't feel like looking like an idiot, Neji," he explained.

Neji chuckled to himself. "That's never stopped you before," he taunted.

There was a long pause after this. It was annoying, because Shikamaru could practically hear the gears in Neji's brain working, and based on the start of the conversation, he knew exactly where Neji was going with this.

"I thought you stopped believing in fate," Shikamaru commented dryly, before Neji could start the lecture.

"You never truly stop believing in fate," Neji said, in probably what he thought was a cryptic answer, but was really kind of trite and only served to annoy Shikamaru a little more. "Besides, it's hard not to believe when you see it working right in front of you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and waited for Neji to continue.

"The first time that I saw the garter tossed, at the Aburame wedding, I was amazed that no one actually caught it. It was like fate intervened and placed it on your head."

"Pft," Shikamaru said succinctly.

"You are not short, but you were definitely not the tallest man in that group, and several of the men around you were taller then you. Several of them reached for the garter themselves, only to have it be barely out of their reach. Then, it dropped onto your head," Neji explained.

Shikamaru stayed quiet. It was a compeling testimony, but Shikamaru knew that eye witnesses like Neji was now, are very unreliable. They tend to romantacize the story, really only remembering it the way they wanted it to be remembered.

"Then today," Shikamaru imagined that Neji's eyes had gone all unfocused and dreamy by now, but didn't bother looking to confirm his suspicions. "You saw your fate and accepted it with open arms."

He didn't want to ask this question, because he was pretty sure that he knew what the answer was going to be. "So my fate would be…?"

Shikamaru tried to control the wince that was going to come over his face when Neji answered with something like 'Marry Hinata sama.'

"Why, you're forever going to be single," Neji answered. Shikamaru would have fallen flat on his face if he hadn't already been lying on his back.

"How do you figure that?" he asked, trying not to sound too annoyed that the conversation didn't go the way he had planned.

"Only unmarried men can catch the garter. If you were supposed to get married you wouldn't have caught it a second time," Neji said as if it was the simpelest thing in the world.

"What about Hinata?" Shikamaru asked, testing Neji's logic, "the bouquet works the same way. Does that mean she's never going to marry?"

"Hinata sama is the Hyuuga heiress. She really has no choice. She must marry, so in this case, fate is not a factor," Neji said, sounding as if he were talking to a child.

Shikamaru didn't say anything. Instead he just thought about the fact that he too had to marry some day, to continue the Nara line. 'Hinata doesn't have to marry, there was still that sister of hers…what was her name… Ha…Hanahi? Hanapi? Eh, doesn't really matter.'

The silence that followed was only interrupted by Neji as he walked away without even saying goodbye. After a time, Shikamaru went back to his original debate and decided that he would definitely prefer to eat something now and risk loosing a little dignity, then sit alone any longer.

Cautiously he made his way into the reception hall, avoiding the mass of people who were clustered around what he assumed was the Twister game. For the most part the group was quiet, probably because they had somehow managed to convince Hinata to do the spinning. But even though the group was quiet, so as to hear their instructions, every time someone fell there was much giggling and groaning.

Finally there was a groan that was louder then all the others. The last person had fallen making…

"I told you he would win," Shikamaru heard Temari bragging to anyone who would listen, "My little brother is freaky flexible." Somehow the comments of "Or just plain freaky," were muffled so well that they only got an ear twitch from her, not a death glare.

"Who's up for another round?" Kiba shouted and several members of the crowd clapped. There were a select few who seemed a little disillusioned by the game, and they went to the buffet or to get there coats or just to sit down.

"Alright Gaara, because you won the last round, you gotta give someone else a chance, so you do the spinning and we'll let Hinata play," Kiba said, patting Gaara on the shoulder. He barely even flinched when Gaara tried to kill him with his eyes.

"I-it's okay Kibakun," Hinata stuttered, "If Gaarasan wants to play, I can continue spinning."

"Naw," Kiba said, completely ignoring his teammate, "you need to show every body your mad Twister skillz." Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the stupidity of pronouncing the word "skills" with a "z." He then grabbed the spinner away from her and pushed her gently towards the spotted sheet. "You spin Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru tried a death glare, but if Kiba could withstand Gaara's, then Shikamaru stood no chance of intimidating him, so he just shrugged, and took Hinata's original place. Once everybody was in place he began the monotonous task of spinning and calling.

Fairly quickly the game became a contest of contortions between Gaara and Hinata. The crowd was divided, half cheering for Hinata, the neighborhood sweetheart, the other half rooting for Gaara, the proven winner.

Despite himself, Shikamaru found himself enjoying the competition, and secretly he wanted Hinata to win. Mostly just because he thought it would be funny to see Gaara loose, but also because he knew that Hinata had a special smile just for when she wins and it's something that he wouldn't want to miss.


	4. Chapter 4

For once Hinata was glad for the hideous dresses that Sakura chose for her bride's maids. The skirt was wide enough and had enough movement so that she could honestly compete in the Twister game.

There were still difficulties, one being the skirt riding up her legs, showing an almost indecent amount of leg to the audience, and the other being Gaara's tendency to try and take over the sheet, meaning that what should have been a simple stretch ended up being an act of contortion. It also meant that several times she found herself in a compromising position with the Kazekage.

She laughed self consciously as she felt him moved his left hand, causing him to bring himself closer to her body. Her cheeks were bright red, and getting redder as the match continued.

"Hyuuga," he whispered in her ear, right as Shikamaru called out the next move for her to make.

Hinata tried her best to ignore his antics. She had played Twister with Gaara before, back when Temari and Shino started dating, and they were throwing a party for Shino's birthday. He did the same thing then that he was doing now, trying to intimidate her and make her feel uncomfortable. It would have worked then, if Temari hadn't started telling anyone who would listen this story involving Gaara and a weather vane. She didn't ever get to finish the story, because Gaara had gotten up to kill her with his bare hands.

'Two can play at that game,' she thought to herself, 'Right?' She gathered her courage and the next time he tried something like that, she leaned up close to him and whispered back, "Stop that and play nice."

Gaara just raised an eyebrow at this, reminding Hinata of Shino. Although Shino would be doing that to display both shock and a question, while Gaara was doing it because he was mocking her.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" he hissed.

"I'll let everybody know what kind of u-underwear y-you're wearing," she stuttered, instantly loosing her resolve. She would probably end up just putting up with his behavior until he match was over and never tell anyone anything involving Gaara's underwear.

"Heh," he said, bringing back her resolve, "I'm not wearing any underwear."

Hinata blinked a few times innocently. "R-really? B-because I thought you were. I t-thought you were wearing pink b-boxers with red hearts all over them, and that's what I'd be t-telling people." She fluttered her eyelashes to emphasize the threat.

She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Gaara's eye twitch, possibly imagining the implications of what that would mean if everyone "found out" about his underwear. Or just imagining the boxers in all their cheesy glory.

The rest of the match was uneventful, ending in a tie. There were a few mutterings of a rematch, but no conclusive plans were made. There wasn't a third match, as everyone was ready to go home.

Soon all the guests were gone, leaving just Hinata and Shikamaru. Sakura and Naruto had rented the hall under the agreement that all the chairs would be placed on top of the table.

Naruto had promised to take care of it. His definition of "taking care of it" was making Shikamaru do it. When Sakura heard this, she secretly asked Hinata to make sure the job got done. There was no way she was going to lose her deposit because some jerk was to lazy to do what Naruto asked him to do.

"You don't have to stay," Shikamaru offered when Hinata started putting chairs on the table.

"I-I promised Sakura-chan," she informed him, not wanting to insult him.

"She never has trusted me," he chuckled, more to himself then her.

"N-nani?"

"Don't pretend like she just asked you to do it today. Naruto bragged about how he was put in charge of something for the wedding for an entire week before he asked me to do it. Then for another week he bragged about his delegation skills," Shikamaru smirked as he lifted chairs in an economic movement.

"That does sound like something he would do," Hinata giggled. They worked quickly and efficiently, and soon all the chairs were off the floor with their legs in the air. Hinata left to gather her things from her dressing room, and Shikamaru waited until she was done before he turned off the lights and locked up the reception hall.

"I want to apologize for Neji-niisan's behavior," she told him as they walked through the town.

"Huh?" Shikamaru asked.

"I want to apologize for any matchmaking he tried to do," she explained, "He told me that he had "seen my fate" and he was going to make sure that you did your part. So I wanted to apologize if he tried to pressure you in any way to start a relationship with me."

"Well apparently my part in your fate is to be single forever while you marry and continue the Hyuuga line," he said wryly. To Hinata he seemed a little miffed.

"Heh," Hinata laughed to herself, "I never thought that he would use reverse psychology on you. He told me that he was going to make sure that the next heir to the Hyuuga clan had the second smartest father in all of Konoha."

"Second smartest?" Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at the statement.

"Apparently I would have to fight Ten Ten to the death if I tried to marry the smartest," she giggled at her cousin's inflated sense of ego.

"He wishes," Shikamaru muttered. They were silent for a while as they continued walking.

"So, how are you doing? What with Naruto marrying and all," he said awkwardly.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Well, you had that huge crush on him…"

Hinata's eyes widened, "You knew about that?!?" she shrieked a little.

"It was so obvious. Anytime he came near you, you would light up like a Christmas tree and stutter like you were first learning to talk," he snorted.

"I was not that bad," she said indignantly.

Shikamaru stopped in the road and faced her, "N-N-Na-Naruto kun… I-I-I… gottagobye!" He stuttered out in a high falsetto, while looking at the ground and fiddling with his fingers in a clear impersonation of Hinata. Instead of being insulted, Hinata found it funny and started laughing.

"You were way worse then I ever was," she started.

"Naruto and I have nothing but a strictly platonic relationship," he said deadpan.

Hinata found herself laughing again, "I meant with Temari-chan."

"Yeah right," he said, "I was nothing but cool and calm during our relationship."

"Troublesome woman, always tellin' me what to do. I don't even like blondes," Hinata said, deepening her voice and plugging her nose so that there was a nasally quality to it.

Shikamaru glared at her from the corner of his eye, then started chuckling, Hinata joining him after a second.

That's pretty much the way the evening ended. Once they got their composure back, Hinata went her separate way, returning home to the knowing eyes of her cousin.

"Do I know fate or do I know fate?" he asked her as she passed by his room on the way to her own.

"Niisan," Hinata said, "you stopped believing in fate because you didn't like the person that it turned you into. Please continue to do so and stay out of m love life." She then shut her door and leaned against it. 'Fated or not, I haven't laughed so much in a while now,' she thought fondly.


	5. Chapter 5

Shikamaru couldn't help glaring across the table at the guy making Hinata laugh. He had a foreign feeling in his gut that shouted for him to do something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that if he gave in he would not only embarrass him, but Hinata as well, and everyone else at the dinner party.

He had been thinking about her off and on in the weeks that passed since Naruto and Sakura's wedding. It wasn't constant, but he found the idea of her sneaking up on him at the most inopportune times. Usually when he was around the match making females that make up the women in his life.

His mother was always nagging him about settling down and giving her grandkids to spoil. To add to the guilt trips she tried to pull she mentioned that he was the heir to the Nara clan, and needed to provide the next generation or his cousin, who she doesn't like, will get everything. He rolled his eyes at her and went back to doing whatever it was he was doing at the time, usually shougi or cloud gazing.

Ino was even worse then his mother. She pulled the "you're one of my best friends, and I don't want to see you so lonely," routine on them. Plus, whenever she could she would have Chouji talk about the wonders of being married. Or maybe Chouji was doing it voluntarily, he has been in love with Ino since he first saw her at the academy. But what really made Ino worse then his mother was that she knew him and what had been going on, so she would specifically bring up Hinata and how perfect she would be for him.

Other then the times that Ino or his mother reminded him of Hinata, he would find himself thinking about her at random times. Like once, when he was cloud gazing with Chouji, he asked Chouji what he thought she might doing. Which caused his friend to tease him. Or when he played shougi in the park, he wondered if she knew how to play, ro at least would like to learn. Sometimes, at night before he fell asleep he would imagine her next to him, and he really wanted to know if she snored or drooled or something.

Her laughter broke through his thoughts, and he found her staring at him.

"Huh?" he asked intelligently.

"I was just wondering what Niisan did to you to make you glare at him like that?" she asked innocently.

"Then why'd you laugh," Shikamaru asked suspisciously.

"Niisan said it was because his ponytail is prettier then yours," she answered and giggled cutely. Shikamaru found himself grinning ruefully.

"I think he's confusing me with Ino." It was a weak reply, but he was kind of spellbound at the moment, so it was understandable. He gazed at her until it felt awkward, then his mind scrambled for something to say.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" It wasn't the most original opening line, and as a genius he should have thought of one much better, but yeah… it didn't happen.

"Nothing much really. I've been on a few missions with Kiba and Shino. We even went all the way to wave country, and saw the Naruto Bridge."

"So he wasn't making that part up," Shikamaru replied.

"He doesn't lie. Just embellishes a little," Hinata grinned, "but that was Kiba's reaction."

"So what else?"

"Um… I took the teachers exam. I should hear back from them by the end of the week. If I pass, I'm going to apply for a teaching position at the academy," she said grinning.

"So you are willing to risk becoming Konohamaru and his friend's teacher?" Shikamaru teased. He had been a substitute for their class a while back, and he was still traumatized.

"Iruka-sensei wouldn't let me near them. He likes having troublemakers in his class. He says it keeps him young," Hinata giggled. "that's probably why he liked out class so much."

"What would you know about being a trouble maker?" Shikamaru scoffed good naturedly. "You were the biggest goody two shoes ever."

"How would you know?" she laughed, only slightly offended, "You were always asleep."

"I woke up for interesting things, and you getting in trouble would definitely have qualified."

"Well obviously it wasn't that interesting, because I definitely got in trouble a time or two," Hinata bragged.

"Yeah right," scoffed Shikamaru, oddly enough enjoying where this pointless conversation was going.

"There was the time I got yelled at for passing notes in class. Iruka sensei even read the note to everyone," Hinata argued.

"That doesn't count. It wasn't your note. Besides, you didn't get punished for it," Shikamaru countered.

"Well maybe not then, but I got in trouble for giving Chouji food during class," she conceded. Iruka-sensei had for once, found and taken away all of Chouji's food stashes one day. Hinata had passed him some carrots from her lunch and Iruka sensei caught her.

"See, that proves my point. You only ever got punished for breaking to rules to help people," Shikamaru taunted, "You're the biggest goody two-shoes ever."

"Hmmm…" was all Hinata said, neither conceding the point nor agreeing with him.

"So you don't want to train Gennin's?" Shikamaru asked.

"Maybe someday, but I think it would be a good idea to be familiar with teaching in general before I started training official ninjas," Hinata responded. This was a very logical answer for Shikamaru. Most jounin today didn't bother with the academy, they wanted to go strait to training gennin, which to Shikamaru was a mistake. Just look at Neji's team to see the danger of having a jounin instructor who didn't know how to teach. A narcoleptic "genius," a crazy girl with a weapon's fetish, and a mini Gai-sensei in the makings.

"So, what have you been up to?" Hinata asked.

"Preparing for the chuunin exams," he responded lazily. I'm administering the first test this year."

"That'll be fun," Hinata said encouragingly.

"Eh," he said encouragingly, "They only assigned me the job because people were complaining about how many cheaters I found. Not just the gennin, but other testing officials."

"I remember that one," Hinata laughed, " Only three teams made it to the tenth question, and by then they were so freaked out that they didn't even pass that. That was the first time in the history of the chuunin exams that no one made it to the second round!"

"I still don't know how they did it," Shikamaru muttered.

"Well, Kurenai-sensei told me that the only reason they passed, was because they didn't right anything on their test papers after the first 10 teams were eliminated. That and at least one of them were sitting next to the people with the answers," Hinata again laughed, possibly at the look of shock on Shikamaru's face. He hadn't even considered that they had stopped taking the test.

"You never even considered that as an option," Hinata guessed.

"Why would they stop taking the test?" Shikamaru demanded, "There was a point system, and they might not have passed!" he was slightly annoyed that she had guessed that he had missed the obvious.

"But they would have for sure not passed if they had continued to cheat," Hinata argued, and won.

Shikamaru grumbled good naturedly, which caused Hinata to giggle again. "You're fun," she told him matter of factly.

"Thanks," Shikamaru accepted the complement. "You too."

"Thanks," she grinned.

"So," Shikamaru started unsure. He knew that when he was around her, he had fun, and when he wasn't around her, he tended to think about her. For him the next logical step would be to start a relationship with her. Of course this meant that he would have to take the initiative, which he had never done with a girl before. All his other girlfriends had started it, and usually finished it. "Do you wanna do something like this again sometime?"

"Like what again?" Hinata asked, looking very sincerely confused.

Shikamaru hadn't been prepared for her question. 'There she goes again, clouding my ability to predict a conversation. Maybe it's just a Hyuuga ability,' he thought, remembering his conversation with Neji a month ago.

"Like, this again. You know, a date," he explained. He hoped that she said yes, but was prepared if she said no.

"That'd be nice," Hinata surprised him, but not really, with her answer.

"Good," he said with a relieved sigh. With that main ordeal over, he could start concentrating on having a good time with a cute girl, who didn't remind him of his mother even remotely.


	6. Chapter 6

"Temari!" Hinata practically begged, "You've been on a date with him before. What do I wear?" Really she probably shouldn't be panicking. She had gone on dates before and never felt this level of excitement before.

"What do you mean what do you wear?" Temari asked, "You wear what you normally wear on a date."

"That's not helpful!" Hinata shouted, which she never normally does, "What I normally wear on first dates was for Kiba and Naruto! Basically you dress for running through the forest and a sparring session! I don't know what to expect from Shikamaru!"

"Aw," Temari said sympathetically, "I'm sorry that the guys you dated before now sucked at first dates." Hinata glared at her friend. "I don't know what you expect me to say. We went stargazing and talked about strategy. Maybe you should ask Ino. She's known him the longest."

Hinata pulled herself from the pit of despair that she had been dangling over. "Of course!" she celebrated, "Ino can help!" Then she went running off to find the blonde kunoichi.

She found Ino working in her parents shop. Even though she was no longer part of the Yamanaka clan, she still helped in the family business. Hinata waited impatiently while Ino finished up with her customer before she pounced, letting loose all her date anxiety.

"Ino! IhaveadatewithShikamaruandIdon'tknowwhattowear!" Her panic was making her words slur together.

"You do?" Ino squealed, instead of focusing on the problem at hand.

"YES! What do I wear?"

"Something sexy," Ino shrugged, as if it were the most natural answer there were.

"Like what?"

"What do you mean 'like what?' Wear something that makes you look sexy."

"B-but I don't do sexy!" Hinata was close to hyperventilating. She stopped, because it would be way too embarrassing having to cancel the date due to death. "I do cute! I don't have any sexy clothing!"

"Is that your only problem? When's the date?"

"Tonight at seven," Ino's calm attitude was both annoying and soothing.

"Grab Temari. I gotta find someone to cover me, then we'll find you a sexy outfit." Hinata thankfully went back to her friend's house and explained the plan. A few minutes later, Ino showed up and the three women made their way to the market.

They must have gone to a million stores. In some Ino had just taken a look around, then sniffed in disdain, and turned right back around. Within two hours Hinata had tried on so many different outfits that she almost walked out of the last store with out her pants.

But finally, after much bickering, the perfect outfit was found. It was a dress, the ended just above the knees, flaring out at the hem. The scoop neck showed a hint of cleavage without being too obvious, and the deep indigo color emphasized the lavender in her pale eyes. But most importantly, Hinata felt beautiful in the dress, not stupid or slutty. It was just the right mixture of sexy and sophisticated.

"Now the shoes," Ino said, causing Temari to grimace and Hinata to almost sob. But Hinata and Temari managed to convince Ino that it was too late to go proper shoe shopping, as the date was just three hours away, and Hinata still had to finish getting ready before Shikamaru came to pick her up.

"Well then," Ino said posing, "My job here is done. Go forth and conquer."

Now Hinata was staring at herself in the mirror. She had put her hair up in a simple looking twist, that actually took about a half hour to do, and would take a light breeze to undo. Her makeup was light and natural.

'What are we going to talk about?' she thought feverishly, 'We have nothing in common. It's just going to be one awkward pause with maybe a meal to interrupt it!' She passed through this bout of panic quickly though. She just remembered how light and easy it was to talk to him at the weddings or the dinner the other night.

Before she could dive into another mental tale-spin, Hanabi knocked on her door. "Yo," she said through the door, "That guy with the pineapple hair is here to pick you up." Hinata gathered her composure and stood up. She smoothed her dress down unnecessarily, and opened the door.

Hanabi was leaning indolently against her doorframe, effectively blocking Hinata in her room. Hinata raised an eyebrow at her sister's actions.

"So," Hanabi started, looking her sister up and down, "Is this your fated _lover_?" She started giggling at her own cleverness.

Hinata rolled her eyes as she daintily stepped around her sister. Hanabi was five years her junior, but what a five years. Sometimes it felt like even though they had grown up in the same household, that her sister was from a completely different planet.

"According to Niisan he is," Hinata said, daintily stepping around her sister, "I guess I'll be finding that out tonight."

"Are you going to _Lover's Lane_ with your new_ lover_?" Hanabi asked, giggling all the harder.

"Konoha doesn't have a Lover's Lane," Hinata answered, both confused and annoyed at her sister's attitude. It had been some time since she had done something this… ridiculous. She made her way quickly, but with dignity, to the front room, where Shikamaru would no doubt be waiting.

"I thought I told you that you were forever going to be single," she heard Neji say.

"That you did," Shikamaru's voice agreed. It sounded lazy, and sent shivers up her spine.

"Well then what are you doing here?" Neji demanded.

"I'm going on a date," Shikamaru said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Useless," Neji scoffed. Hinata rounded the corner then, she didn't want that conversation to go any further then it had to. She held her breath slightly as she waited for Shikamaru's reaction.

"You look… nice," Shikamaru said after a while. It sounded like his throat was being clogged by something. Ino and Temari had assured her that this was a good thing. Hinata smiled triumphantly at her date.

He cleared his throat, "Ready to go?" he questioned gruffly. Hinata nodded and said goodbye to her cousin and little sister. The evening air was warm, with a slight breeze to keep it from getting too warm. They were in the middle of the village, making the stars look washed out, but they were there, sitting in a cloudless sky.

They walked in silence, Hinata's mind scrambling for something to say. Every time she would thing of something, she would open her mouth and look at him, and her mind would go blank. It was getting to the point where she was beginning to believe that she forgot how to speak.

"Have you heard back from the academy?" his voice rumbled through the silence. She beamed up at him for saving her from her own self-consciousness.

"You're the first person to ask me that," she told him, "In fact, I just heard from them this morning. I've been accepted to teach tracking."

"Well, you're really good at that," he complemented.

"There was grumbling at first, because I'm a Hyuuga and it's assumed that I would only know how to track using the byakugan. But I proved that I am an expert tracker, and I know multiple ways to find my prey." Hinata giggled a little at the last sentence. 'That sounded a little forward,' she thought.

Shikamaru must have noticed that, because she could see a faint flush bleed over the bridge of his nose. But he rallied well.

"How'd they do that?"

"They blind folded me with a chackra dampening cloth," she shrugged. "It's a little un fair though. I'm the only candidate who had to complete the test completely blind."

"So you're not just good at tracking," Shikamaru mused, "You're an expert."

"Well Team 8 was the tracking team," again Hinata shrugged. Shikamaru nodded absently. "Kiba showed me how to use my nose. In case I ever went blind, he said. Shino helped me with the basics of tracking. It's something that my father thought would be a waste of time."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed. "Asuma sensei had to drill Ino and myself on basic trapping technique when we first started, because our fathers just taught us our family traps."

"Because you shouldn't ever need anything else?" Hinata hazarded, assuming that it was family arrogance that as the cause.

"Nah," Shikamaru said, giving her a sidelong glance, "They were just lazy."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle. "You complaining about someone else being lazy?"

"I'm not lazy," Shikamaru defended, "I'm just conserving my energy."

This caused Hinata to giggle even harder. "Because that cloud gazing is such a strenuous activity." Shikamaru just snorted and gave her a dark look. It didn't help the situation and Hinata stopped momentarily until she got the giggles out of her system.

"It's not that funny," Shikamaru griped. Hinata finally managed to stop giggling enough to explain a little.

"Sorry. It's just you looked so cute." Instantly she grew silent as she realized what she said. Her face turned bright red and her eyes grew huge. She felt slightly better when she noticed Shikamaru blushing too, but only slightly. 'I can't believe I just said that!'

Shikamaru finally broke the silence with a wry chuckle. "You just might be the first Hyuuga who needs to get her eyes checked." Hinata frowned at this statement; she didn't like it when people were down on themselves.

"You shouldn't say things like that about yourself," she scolded him gently. He seemed a little surprised that she hadn't laughed along.

"U-uh," he agreed. They continued walking along in a comfortable silence. Finally Hinata broke it, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" She needed to know because they had just walked across town, and were approaching the gates. She wasn't allowed to leave the village unless she had a mission.

"Know anything about deer?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Shikamaru was looking at Hinata out of the corner of his eye. Her outfit was not what he was expecting. He thought she would wear something more traditional, or possibly something a little more casual, Naruto had told him that she had liked to do physical things on their dates, like sparring or hiking and stuff. He had nodded, then disregarded what Naruto had said, because when it came to women, Naruto was even more clueless then he was. 'It doesn't matter how many times Sakura tells Naruto that she's tired of eating ramen, he still insists that it's her favorite food,' he thought ruefully.

'That dress should be illegal,' he thought darkly. When he had first seen her in that dress, his mind had gone completely blank. Neji could have shut down every single one of his tenketsu, and all Shikamaru would have been able to do was stand there, staring at Hinata.

He watched her walk. Staring at pale shapely legs that he had never thought possible. He'd seen legs before. Both Ino and Temari had excellent legs and showed them off at every opportunity, but he'd never seen legs like Hinata's. There was just something about them that mesmerized him. He'd never really considered himself a leg-man, because everybody has legs right? Now he knew what he was missing out on by ignoring those limbs.

"So, where are we going?" Hinata's quiet voice interrupted the loop his thoughts had gotten themselves into. He felt heat licking at his cheeks. He just knew he had been caught.

He cleared his throat, "That's a secret."

Hinata glanced at him. There was a speculative look in her eyes. "Am I going to like it?"

"I hope so," he said quietly, possibly too quiet for her to hear, but he couldn't be sure. Suddenly is mind was flooded with doubts. He'd never taken a girl here before. Ino and Temari were just too loud for it, but there was something about Hinata that suggested that she could be relied on not to squeal loudly at the inopportune time.

Hinata smiled cutely at him. If it was possible he blushed even harder. His walking sped up unconsciously as they neared their destination. It was a small clearing on the fringe of Nara land. It was surrounded by woods, and Shikamaru led her over to a fallen log that was hidden by some bushes. Shikamaru sat down immediately and ushered for Hinata to follow suit. There was a pause, then gingerly Hinata approached the log. She didn't sit down, but just kind of hovered over his shoulder, looking at him questionably.

Shikamaru became a little annoyed because she was just standing there, making him aware of the fact that he was sitting. His mother had tried her hardest to teach him manners and while he had ignored most of it because it was troublesome, it still made him feel uncomfortable when someone was standing when they should be sitting.

"Take a seat," he said, patting the spot next to him. He felt some dusty moss stick to his hand, and he suddenly understood why she wasn't sitting. Maybe he didn't ignore all of his mother's etiquette lessons, because before he knew what he was doing, he was removing his jacket and laying it on the log in the spot he had just patted.

"Oh," Hinata protested softly, "You don't have to go through all the trouble. I'm fine with standing."

"I insist," Shikamaru said, "Besides, if you stand, then I have to stand."

"No you don't," Hinata argued, pouting cutely.

"There's just no choice for me," Shikamaru said, "My mother would disown me if she found out that I lounged around while my date had to stand."

"But I don't _have_ to stand," Hinata argued, "I _choose_ to stand."

"That's just a technicality," Shikamaru shrugged as he stood up. He heard Hinata sigh in exasperation. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her daintily step around the log and sit on top of his jacket. It was obvious that she wasn't comfortable though because she did her best to sit on as little jacket as possible. Shikamaru sighed in exasperation to himself as he watched the girl try to become comfortable in that position.

"Relax," he told her, "We might be here for a while."

Hinata turned wide eyes on him. "Oh?" she questioned softly. He could tell that she wanted to ask more questions.

"That's the only hint you're getting," he said gruffly. His mind raced for things to talk about, 'She's going to think you're boring,' he berated himself as his mind scrambled for something, anything to say.

His mind didn't have to scramble for long, because just then what he had brought them here for started to happen. A fawn, still damp from the bath its mother gave it, wobbled into view and promptly fell. He heard Hinata inhale softly, but she didn't make anymore noise then that. Shikamaru leaned in close to her and lowered his voice so only she would hear him.

"The does give birth just through those trees," he explained, "I thought that watching the births might be a little much for a fist date, but after the mother's bathe their young, they start learning to walk." A doe walked up behind the fallen fawn and nuzzled it back to standing.

"Do they always come this way?" Hinata questioned quietly, eyes glued to the sight of the deer.

"For the most part. This is the birthing season, so chances were good that we would see something like this. In about an hour the fawn will be able to walk, trot, and frolic with the best of them. After that the only time you'd be able to see it again up close would be at feeding time. During the spring and summer they mostly forage, but we still give them oats and stuff."

"They're so beautiful," she whispered, "Thank you for showing me this."

"You are more then welcome," Shikamaru said, looking directly at her, hoping to catch her eyes. "I can't think of anyone I would want to share this with more."

Hinata looked up at him then. She must have sensed that he wanted to say something more, but couldn't. Their eyes met and Hinata started blushing. Shikamaru could feel an answering blush grace his own features. Shikamaru's hand rose up to her face slowly, then he hesitated. Hinata leaned forward a little and Shikamaru took that as permission. He skimmed his had over her face, relishing in the smoothness of her skin. He brushed her hair back away from her face and leaned forward a little, keeping the eye contact they already had.

'I'm going to kiss her,' he thought in disbelief. This wouldn't be the first time he had initiated a kiss with a girl, but it would be the first time he had initiated the first kiss.

"Hey Shikamaru," a bored voice came from behind them before. Shikamaru and Hinata parted company abruptly, before their lips could meet.

"Hey Dad," Shikamaru said, trying not to glare at the elder Nara. The deer quickly ushered the fawn to the safety of the birthing clearing due to the disturbance.

"Who's that with you?" his father asked, completely oblivious to the fact that he had ruined the moment.

"Oh, allow me to introduce myself," Hinata said quietly, hastily standing up. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga, it's very nice to meet you." She bowed politely to Shikamaru's father.

"It's very nice to meet you Hinata. I'm Shikato Nara," Shikamaru's father responded, bowing in return to Hinata. Then he turned his attention to Shikamaru, "And what brings you two here?"

"We're on a date," Shikamaru glared.

"Ah. Your mother will be happy to hear that," his father said almost but not quite excitedly. "You should stop by later tonight, I'm sure she'd love to meet Hinata."

"Maybe," Shikamaru said. "I'll see if we can squeeze it in after dinner."

"I'll let her know," he said, "Don't get dessert, you know she'll want to have tea and a visit when you stop by." With that he disappeared as quickly as he reappeared.

"I'm sorry about that," Shikamaru said turning back to Hinata.

"It's not a problem," Hinata said, "Why was he all the way out here?"

"Everyday during the birthing season we come out to the clearing to collect any fawns that were abandoned by their mothers."

"Does that happen often?" Hinata questioned in concern.

"Not to often, but often enough that we have that policy in place."

"But that's so sad."

Shikamaru didn't really know what to say to this statement. He'd grown up with the fact that some young are abandoned by their mother. It was a fact of life for him, but shrugging and telling Hinata, "Shit happens," seemed a little cold, and very much not conducive to a good date.

He looked at Hinata and nodded slowly. This seemed to be the reaction she wanted, because she smiled at him and turned to look at the field again. "I guess the show is over," she said quietly.

"There might be a few more born tonight," Shikamaru said quietly, "But it's unlikely that we'll see anymore learning to walk before we have to leave for dinner. I made reservations for 8:30."

"Where are we going?" Hinata asked, "Or is that a secret as well?"

Shikamaru smiled at her question, "It's not a secret," he conceded, "We're going to dine at The Red Thai Room."

"I've never been there," Hinata said, "but I have heard good things."

"Chouji told me that it was some of the best Thai food that he had ever eaten, then immediately amended that to the best Thai food he'd ever eaten that wasn't made by Ino." Shikamaru chuckled at the memory of Ino glaring at her husband. Ino prided herself on her cooking abilities, and didn't like hearing that Chouji liked any cooking better then hers. It was really odd what made her jealous.

"You should have seen the look Ino gave me when Chouji complemented the cookies I brought on a mission once," Hinata mused. "I thought my hair was going to catch on fire due to the heat of her gaze, until she tried one and admitted that they were pretty good. She totally beat me with her rice balls though, so I think we're even in the cooking department." she chuckled a little at the memory. Shikamaru remembered Chouji telling him about the mission.

"Well," Shikamaru started, "if we leave now we can take the long way, and walk through Firefly Park. It's very beautiful this time of night."

"Then let's go," Hinata said, handing Shikamaru his jacket then linking arms with him.


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner went by in a blur for Hinata. She remembered good food and laughing, but no specifics. On the walk from the restaurant to Shikamaru's parent's house all Hinata could think about was what kind of impression she would make.

From what Hinata had heard of Shikamaru's mother, she wasn't sure that they would get along. It was said that Yoshino Nara was a harsh woman who had to be in charge. Temari had even gone so far as the blame Mrs. Nara for the end of her and Shikamaru's relationship.

'I don't want to end the relationship before it even begins,' Hinata thought worriedly, glancing at Shikamaru for support. He was staring strait ahead at first, then he looked down at her. He must have sensed that she needed reassurance because he gave her a lopsided grin that caused her to blush a little. Quickly she looked down at the ground again, smiling to herself.

"We don't have to go if you don't want," Shikamaru offered for the second time that evening. "I can always say that we ran out of time."

"I don't want you to get in trouble with your parents," Hinata protested for the second time that night. "Besides, if we keep dating, I'm going to have to meet them eventually." She turned bright red at this last sentence. 'So forward.'

"But that might not happen after you've met my parents," Shikamaru muttered, probably more to himself then to Hinata.

"Your parents can't be that bad," Hinata tried to reassure him. Shikamaru shrugged.

"They're my parents. I'm used to them."

"What does that mean?"

"They can be really embarrassing," Shikamaru admitted after a long silence.

"Aren't parents supposed to be embarrassing?" Hinata asked. Her own relationship with her father had always been strained, so she was honestly curious. Shino and Kiba had always complained about their parents. Temari and her brothers did too, although their complaints had more validity in Hinata's mind. 'Assassination attempts are not normal parent child interactions.'

"I guess," Shikamaru shrugged. Before they could continue the conversation, they arrived at the Nara front door. Shikamaru entered the house without knocking, hung his jacket on a nearby rack and turned to Hinata to take hers. "Hey Ma. Hey Dad," he called out into the house.

"Come in Shikamaru," a female voice called out from inside the house.

Shikamaru lead Hinata to what she assumed was the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Nara sat in on a couch, cuddled up and watching something on the television. It was a very cute scene, but not one Hinata was expecting.

Mrs. Nara looked up at her son in greeting, but froze when she saw Hinata. Something in her demeanor changed, because she instantly pulled away from her husband and stood up, bowing formally.

"Shikamaru, so nice of you to stop by. And I see you brought company," she said in a strained voice.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said, giving his mother a brief hug when she straightened up. "This is Hinata Hyuuga. Dad ran into us earlier and invited us to tea and desert."

"How thoughtful of him," she responded, sending a predatory look towards her husband. Hinata was very glad that she had not incurred her wrath. "It's so nice to meet you Hinata," she continued, giving Hinata a warm smile. Hinata would have been more startled by the sudden change of face if she wasn't friends with Ino.

"It's very nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Nara."

"Oh, Mrs. Nara makes me feel old. Please, please call me Yoshino," Yoshino said, "Or better yet, call me Mom."

Shikamaru groaned and Hinata's eyes widened. "O-oh. I couldn't…" she tried to protest.

"Nonsense. You're on a date with my little Shika aren't you?" she asked waving away Hinata's protest. "He never brings girls home to meet us, so you must be special. Now, why don't you make yourselves comfortable while Shikaku and I prepare that tea. Shikaku?" 

At the look his wife was sending him, Shikaku scrambled up off the couch and followed her into the kitchen. Hinata stood in the living room, a little shell shocked. Shikamaru sighed loudly and sat on the couch, motioning Hinata to do so. Hinata joined him numbly.

"We can still leave," he whispered in her ear urgently. "They'll be in there for at least three minutes. Plenty of time to get our coats and sneak out the front door."

"How would you face your mother after doing something like that?" Hinata asked worriedly, although she was sorely tempted to take him up on the offer.

"You just let me worry about that. I have a lifetime of experience dealing with my mother."

"If you've never brought a girl home, how did Temari meet your mother?" Hinata demanded, changing the subject.

Shikamaru blinked in surprise. "When did that happen?"

"I don't know. Temari just said that one of the reasons you guys never worked out was your mother."

Shikamaru looked puzzled for a bit, then suddenly enlightened. "It might have been because I once told her she reminded me of my mother," he mumbled out.

A quick laugh jumped out of Hinata's throat before she could contain herself. "You told her that when you were dating?"

"Nah, before."

"When was that?"

"I don't know. Sometime when she was making fun of me for being lazy or something."

"But you're not lazy," Hinata protested, then because she couldn't stop herself, "You're just conserving your energy," she finished in a very bad imitation of his voice.

"That's what I said," Shikamaru pointed out deadpan. Hinata tried not to giggle, wanting to be just as deadpan as he was, but she crumbled in the face of his earnestness.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Nara asked as he carried a trey of cookies into the room. Yoshino followed behind him with a trey carrying the teapot and teacups. With a skill Hinata rarely saw outside of the shinobi community, Yoshino balanced the heavy trey with one hand, batted her husband across the back of his head, then steadied the trey before scalding hot tea could spill on the floor. All with a polite smile on her face.

"Don't interrupt them like that," Yoshino ordered happily as she set the trey down on the coffee table. "Would you like sugar and cream in your tea, Hinata?"

"Just some sugar please," Hinata responded politely. She watched as Yoshino poured tea in a steady stream. She then added a touch of sugar, stirred slightly and handed Hinata the cup. Hinata waited for the rest of the tea to be served before she took a sip of her drink.

Upon the first sip, Hinata was reminded of something Temari had joked about when asked how she liked her tea, "I live my tea like I like my men... Infused with destruction bugs." It wasn't really funny until she showed everyone a clip of Eddie Izzard, the comedian who originally made the joke. 'I like my tea like I like my men, strong, sweet, and just a touch socially awkward,' Hinata thought, chuckling internally.

There was no sound except for the clink of cups on saucer and sipping for a while. When Hinata was about half way through with her cup of tea, Yoshino turned to her with predatory eyes.

"So, Hinata. What are your intentions with my son?"

Hinata's eyes widened, and she swallowed her tea hard, sending it down the wrong pipe. Hinata set her cup and saucer on the table before she spilled it all over herself as she coughed and spluttered. Her blushing didn't help matters either and she was certain that she was making a spectacle of herself.

"Thanks Ma," Shikamaru said sarcastically, "Kill her before our first date is over. Best way there is to insure that her intentions are pure."

"It's an important question. You are my only child and the heir to the Nara clan," she argued, ignoring Hinata's attempts to defend herself.

"I...cough I understand your concerns," Hinata attempted to say through watering eyes. "But don't you think it's a little early in our relationship to decide if we're wasting our time dating each other?"

"So you're dating?" Yoshino asked sharply.

"Huh?" Hinata asked smartly.

"This is our first date," Shikamaru interrupted.

"Only one date and you're already planning the future?"

"You're the one planning the future."

"So you have no plans for the future?"

"I do, and I'll let you know about them when the time is appropriate."

"Well it's a good thing I wasn't talking to you then. I was talking to Hinata. So, what are your intentions with my son?"

"I...I intend to let him walk me home?" Hinata asked confused. Should she have more of a plan for their lives then that?

"So you can't walk home on your own?"

"N...no. I just thought that that would be a nice way for the date to end."

"Are you going to kiss him?"

Hinata turned a bright red and practically fainted right there. In self defense Hinata quickly drained her cup of tea, set it down with a clatter, stood up, and stepped away from the coffee table.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening. I'm sorry I have to leave so abruptly but it is getting late." She made her way to the front door and started to put her jacket back on. Shikamaru jogged out of the living room and helped her put the jacket on the rest of the way. He quickly donned his own jacket and opened the door for her.

They walked in silence for about a block before the need to speak over came them. "So, I was kind of wondering the answer to that last question myself," Shikamaru said, looking strait ahead. Hinata stared at him with wide eyes, trying to decided if he was joking or not.

Her cheeks heated up and she looked at the ground in front of her. "W-well you'll just have to find out at the end of our date."

She caught Shikamaru glancing at her when he thought that she wasn't looking. He looked concerned, but Hinata couldn't figure out why. It was a magical evening so far. First there was the almost kiss that she regretted not getting, then the spectacular dinner, and then tea with his parents. Enlightenment dawned on her.

"So, did you want to meet my father tonight or save that for the next date?" 'Oh, so forward Hinata,' she thought blushing anew.

"I think one set of parents an evening is enough," Shikamaru smirked. It seemed that he had a new found confidence when he reached out and took her hand. "So, we'll just wait for next time."

As they neared the front door of the Hyuuga estate, Hinata saw her father sitting next to the window where he could see the entrance way. Abruptly Hinata stopped, hoping that her father hadn't seen them yet. Shikamaru stopped with her and lifted an eyebrow.

"Um... if you don't leave me here you will end up meeting my father a lot sooner then you would like," she whispered earnestly.

"So I let you walk back by yourself and lose whatever brownie points I am ever likely to get?" Shikamaru asked sardonically.

"Y-you want to keep dating?" Hinata asked, not quite believing her ears. She knew that she had already told him that she wanted another date, but he hadn't let her know that until just then.

"I should ask you the same question."

Hinata grinned up at him, feeling her face heat up pleasantly. She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "That's really good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So... does that mean I get a kiss?"

"Before or after you meet my father?"

"Both?" he sounded hopeful.

Hinata mentally prepared herself to be brave, and leaned in, standing on her tiptoes. "We'll see," she breathed, before placing her lips against his. It was just the way she thought it would be, really sweet, causing her to become a little light headed. There was a slight sucking sound as their mouths parted. They separated, each breathing a little more heavily then when they started the kiss.

"Ready?" Hinata asked, taking his hand.

"Yeah," Shikamaru answered, sounding a little vague. "For what?"


	9. Chapter 9

Shikamaru was lost in the feel of Hinata's lips against his. 'This feels really really...good,' he thought to himself as his brain turned to mush. Sure he'd been kissed before, but the action had never really done this to him.

When their lips separated Shikamaru noticed that his breathing was more ragged then usual. It felt like he had run a lap to the Hokage's tower and back. Vaguely he heard Hinata say something.

"Yeah," he said, smiling like a sap. Then her words reached his brain. "For what?"

Hinata giggled slightly and took his hand. "You're going to walk me to the door, then possibly meet my father, who is currently waiting for me to return. It's rather odd that he's doing that though, he never waited by the front door on any of my other dates."

"Wait, does that mean I'm special? Is that a good thing?" Shikamaru asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Well, for me it's a good thing. Guess we'll find out if my father feels the same way."

"Yay," Shikamaru said sarcastically the couple made their way to the door. Hinata reached for the door as they stepped onto the porch, but it was opened before her hand touched the nob.

"Hinata," her father greeted her, then turned to look at Shikamaru. "Nara." Shikamaru nodded acknowledgment.

"Mr. Hyuuga."

"Father, Shikamaru was just walking me home from our date."

There was a long silence as Mr. Hyuuga studied Shikamaru. Shikamaru could feel his body begin to heat up under the scrutiny, but not in a good way. 'Don't start sweating,' he ordered himself. B.O. was the last thing he needed to worry about when meeting Hinata's father.

"I suppose you were going to invite him in," Mr. Hyuuga stated, addressing Hinata.

"If it's not to much trouble," Hinata answered back. Mr. Hyuuga nodded stiffly. Giving them just enough room to squeeze past him and into the house. The closing of the door sounded vaguely ominous to Shikamaru's frazzled mind. He wasn't really sure what to do with himself anymore.

They removed their jackets and headed into the sitting room. Hinata gently lead him to a sofa and motioned for him to sit. She smiled at him sweetly and squeezed his hand..

"I'll just make some tea," she said as she moved towards where he assumed the kitchen was. "I'll be right back."

Mr. Hyuuga sat across from Shikamaru, staring at him as though he were a specimen under an microscope. Shikamaru definitely didn't like the feeling, but he'd be damned before he said anything about it. He didn't want Hinata's father hating him.

Vaguely he saw Mr. Hyuuga's eyes widen. 'Maybe he saw something that he likes,' Shikamaru hoped. Instinctively he sat up straiter and puffed out his chest a little. All he knew was that he needed to make a good impression on this man.

"I've heard that you were a genius," Mr. Hyuuga said simply. There was an awkward pause as Shikamaru waited for him to continue.

'Apparently that was it,' he thought, unsure of how to respond. "That is what some people say," Shikamaru hedged. If he bragged too much, Mr. Hyuuga would think he was arrogant. If he was too modest Mr. Hyuuga might think that the rumors were exaggerated.

"I've also heard that you were the number one coward of Konoha."

Shikamaru couldn't tell if this was a good thing or a bad thing based on Mr. Hyuuga's tone of voice, although he supposed it was a bad thing. "I prefer to avoid needlessly endangering my comrades."

"Hmmm," Mr Hyuuga said, staring directly into Shikamaru's eyes. Even though it made him a little uncomfortable, Shikamaru maintained eye contact with the older man, until he heard Hinata enter the room. Gratefully he broke eye contact and stood to help Hinata in anyway that he could.

Hinata waved him off gently and started serving everyone. First her father, then she turned to Shikamaru. "You like your tea with two sugars, correct?" she asked quietly. Shikamaru was impressed that she had noticed.

"Actually I only like one sugar," Shikamaru answered. "Ma's just trying to sweeten my disposition." There was a polite chuckle from Hinata and stony silence from Mr. Hyuuga. It was after he said that joke that Shikamaru realized just how nervous he was. 'Great, now they'll think I'm a bitter old man.'

It was silent as the three began sipping their tea. Shikamaru was tempted to allow himself relax, but he knew that the second that he did, he would loose. Somewhere in the time that Hinata had left to prepare tea, Shikamaru had decided to approach this encounter as though it were a battle. The second he let his guard down Mr. Hyuuga would attack.

"So, you had a date," Mr Hyuuga said, putting his tea cup down with more purpose then Shikamaru deemed necessary. 'A feint,' Shikamaru thought.

"That is correct," Shikamaru answered calmly, smiling at Hinata. She blushed prettily and smiled back.

"Did you have a good time?" Mr. Hyuuga asked, trying to sound jovial, but utterly failing.

"I had a very good time Father," Hinata answered cheerfully. She smiled sweetly at Shikamaru. 'Can she not feel the tension in the room?' Shikamaru asked himself as he smiled back at her.

"I'm glad to hear that. Although the question was directed towards your date." There was an awkward silence that followed this statement. Hinata stilled momentarily, but kept the happy smile on her face. It was at that moment that Shikamaru knew that Hinata had felt the tension of the meeting the entire time.

"I also had a good time," Shikamaru asked slowly. He had thought of the possibility that the encounter would go this way, but he had dismissed it as well. 'Is he trying to force a situation where Hinata has to choose between us?'

"Good. Did Hinata comport herself in a manner appropriate to the Hyuuga name?" Hiashi asked.

"What do you mean? Hinata and I had a good time. Why do you need more information?" Shikamaru asked.

"I want to know how Hinata acts on a date. She is the last in her peer group to become engaged and married. I would like to know why that is." Mr. Hyuuga's voice remained calm and clinical during his explanation. With each word that Mr. Hyuuga said, Shikamaru saw Hinata wince.

"You feel that you will be able to get an understanding of why Hinata isn't married yet after just one date with me?" Shikamaru asked, watching Hinata out of the corner of his eye.

"Obviously she has a defect," Mr. Hyuuga said coldly. "She is a Hyuuga, she should have been the first of her peers to be married."

"So, you're going to try and fault your daughter for having good taste?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow. Mr. Hyuuga didn't respond to Shikamaru's question. More then anything Shikamaru wanted to leave and take Hinata with him. 'And I thought my parents were bad.'

The next ten minutes or so were incredibly strained. Just the sound of teacups going up and down. By the time Shikamaru finished his tea, he could feel his eye twitching from the pressure. He was reminded of his battle with Tayuya, several years ago. Even now he still had the habit of holding out hope that someone would come and rescue him. He knew that it was not going to happen, but he couldn't stop himself. 'At least if I loose this battle I wont lose my life,' he thought wryly. 'Just, you know, the chance to keep dating Hinata.'

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" Mr. Hyuuga asked suddenly. Shikamaru was a little more prepared for this question then Hinata had been earlier, so his only reaction was to set his cup down.

"Father, don't you think it's a little early to ask such questions?" Hinata tried to intervene. Shikamaru could have told her that it wouldn't work, but he was glad for her effort.

"I asked you a question," Mr. Hyuuga stated, ignoring his daughter.

"Are you asking as her father or as head of her clan?" Shikamaru asked.

"Explain."

"Hinata is heir to the Hyuuga clan. She will lead the clan when you step down. However if she were to marry someone who couldn't be adopted as a Hyuuga, she would have to step down as heir. This is something that you very well aware of. It's possibly even something that you're hoping for, what with your obsession with why Hinata is still single," Shikamaru stated coldly. "So, I would like to know if you are asking the question as a concerned father or as a concerned clan head."

"How will that information affect your answer?"

"It won't really. Mostly I was just curious."

"What is your answer?" Shikamaru could see veins begin to form around Mr. Hyuuga's eyes. It was a habit he noticed that most of the Hyuuga's had. The byakugan started to activate when they became agitated. 'Not the outcome that I wanted when I entered the house with Hinata,' he thought ruefully.

"I intend to get to know Hinata better. I intend to allow Hinata to get to know me better. That is all that can be said at this point in our relationship."

"You think you have a relationship?"

Shikamaru glanced over at Hinata, silently asking her the same question. She didn't move or smile or anything. She just stared back at him. It was rather frustrating that she wasn't giving him a clear yes or no to the question. He turned back to Mr. Hyuuga, whose eyes had returned to normal. Briskly Shikamaru nodded, hoping that he was giving the right answer.

"Father, it's late. I will see Shikamaru to the door," Hinata said slowly as she stood up. Shikamaru quickly followed her example. They returned to Shikamaru's jacket, then to the front door. Hinata opened it and stepped out.

Shikamaru hesitated. The night air was crisp, and he had wanted to stay in the warm house a little longer. Hinata hadn't put on her jacket, so it was obvious that she wasn't walking him home. What was she doing? When he finally stepped onto the porch, Hinata shut the door and started making hand signals. She lightly touched the door, sending chackra flaring across its surface, before turning back to him and smiling.

"Now we have some privacy from those inside the house," she said simply. "Do you want an apology for my father's behavior?"

"Only if he means it. I don't want any empty words from him," Shikamaru said, looking at the door, not her.

"Oh," Hinata said, drawing his attention back to her. "What about me?"

"Huh? You got nothing to apologize for," Shikamaru scratched at the back of his head. "Do you want me to apologize?" he finally asked.

Hinata was silent for a while, contemplating his question. "Only if you mean it. I don't want empty words from you," she answered, parroting his earlier words. She grinned up at him. "So, what did you think?"

"I don't think I earned any brownie points tonight. If anything I think I now have negative brownie points."

Hinata giggled a little at that, "Probably. But if it's any consolation, I still like you."

"Good," Shikamaru asked. "Because I really like you." He reached out and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. He leaned in close and asked, "So, do I get a kiss goodnight?"

Hinata looked as though she were seriously considering his question. There was a hint of mischief in her eyes that intrigued him, making him draw closer. Finally when they were just centimeters apart she answered.

The feel of her lips pressed against his was just like her remembered. But she tasted even better this time, all sweet with a hint of heat. Like a cinnamon bear, but not as sticky. Shikamaru wanted to loose himself in the kiss. To continue kissing her until he didn't know where she started and he ended. To mold himself against her softness, but he knew that he couldn't. They were standing on her front porch, with nothing to hide their activities from prying eyes.

With a mutual groan their kiss ended. They stared into each others eyes, panting slightly. Shikamaru ran his thumb against her plump lower lip, wanting nothing more then to dip his head and have another taste. Only the sound of footsteps pounding from the other side of the door stopped him.

The steps were abruptly cut off. "But Father," a teenage voice whined. "I want to see them kiss!"

"That's probably why Hinata went outside and posted a ward against prying eyes. She wanted privacy," Mr. Hyuuga responded in a voice that was totally different tone then the one he used earlier.

"You told me not to post wards in the house," Hana bi pouted.

"Which is why we aren't in the house little sister," Hinata said quietly. She looked up at Shikamaru and giggled. "I had better go back before she tries to break the ward."

"Yeah, uh, goodnight," Shikamaru muttered, before bending down quickly and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He started backing away slowly, not really sure how to end the evening.

"Wait!" Hinata called, jogging over to him. "Do you wanna do something like this again?" she asked him awkwardly, but with a hint of mischief. Shikamaru remembered asking her that very question about a week ago.

"You mean like a date?" Shikamaru teased back. "That's be nice."

"Good," Hinata declared before turning around and heading into her house. Shikamaru watched her leave before leaving for his who home. 'Best date ever.'


End file.
